


Irreplaceable

by Mustangsjoeka



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Gen, M/M, pre-relationship garashir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:55:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27663016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mustangsjoeka/pseuds/Mustangsjoeka
Summary: Julian helps Garak clean up his shop after they return from the Gamma Quadrant after Tain's failed attack on the Founders
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 13
Kudos: 58





	Irreplaceable

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to ecto-geo for proof reading!

“Garak, I was thinking that you and I should have breakfast together sometime.”

“Why, Constable, I thought you didn’t eat.”

“I don’t.” Odo ducked out of the blasted-open doors of Garak’s shop. Garak stared after him for a moment then turned back to the mirror he had been cleaning. He was surprised to see a new figure in the jagged doorway.

“Hello, Garak.” Julian ducked his head and stepped in. “Mind if I come in?”

“And if I did mind, you are already in,” Garak said icily but smiled at the Doctor. 

Julian smiled at him and joined him by the mirror.

“Was that Odo I saw leaving?” He gestured over his shoulder. “Have you two bonded after your trip to the Gamma Quadrant?”

“Yes, we are now the very best of friends.”

“Oof, been replaced, have I?” Before Garak could reply to that, Julian turned and picked up a few charred garments from the floor to put them in a pile on a surviving table. “I figure I’ll just gather these up and you can decide what to do with them later. Once I get all these up, I can try to do something to clean up the floor.”

“Doctor, what are you doing?”

“Well, do you want me to start on something else? I guess I could just start washing the walls. You probably don’t want me sniffing around in your stuff.” Julian pushed a pile of items burnt beyond recognition then bent over to pick up pieces of the bulkhead on the floor. “Although I doubt you would leave anything embarrassing lying around.”

“No, doctor,  _ what _ are you doing? Why are you talking about cleaning?”

“I’m helping you.” Julian stood up straight. “I came by to check on you. And you’re cleaning. And I can clean. So… well, I thought I could help.”

Julian shifted from foot to foot and looked down to avoid Garak’s incredulous gaze. 

“I can leave if you would rather be alone, or don’t want help, or—”

“Doctor, I would welcome your company and your help.”

Julian looked up and grinned brilliantly at Garak. Garak smiled softly back.

“Well, where should I start?” Julian broke his gaze and cleared his throat.

“I suppose we should start by going through what’s there. I imagine most of it will be unsalvageable.”

“Right.” Julian turned. “How about I gather stuff up and you go through it? I don’t know what you’ll want to try to save.”

“Very well.”

“I’ll go get a bin.” Julian ran out and quickly returned with a bin. Garak had begun to sort through the garments Julian picked up. All of them went into the bin.

“Unsalvageable?”

“Completely.”

Julian nodded and began to haphazardly collect things from the floor to deposit them on the table. Garak continued sorting. They worked in silence for several minutes until Julian began collecting items from Garak’s work table, or the area where it used to be as the table had been pushed several feet back and flipped into the wall. Julian began laughing.

“Doctor?” Garak looked up in concern. “What is so funny?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. It’s just—” Julian collapsed further into giggles and held up a pair of charred trousers. He managed to wheeze out, “These are mine.”

“Oh, Doctor, I do apologize. I will replace them, of course.” 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just funny.” Julian’s laughter faltered and he finally stopped. “I suppose it’s not that funny, really. I mean everything in your shop has been destroyed and you could have been seriously hurt or even killed and then everything in the Gamma Quadrant… What?”

Garak had been trying to keep a smile from his face.

“I am not sure you are aware—no, I’m  _ sure _ you’re not aware—but you have ash on your face.”

“Do I?” Julian reached up with fingers covered in ash to rub over his face which only succeeded in covering his face more in ash and caused Garak to start laughing. Julian rushed over to the mirror to see that he had a spot on his nose and nearly a whole handprint on his face. Garak, still laughing, had followed him. 

“Damn.” Julian rubbed the back of his hand over his nose which only rubbed the spot further over the side of his nose. Garak laughed even harder and Julian, looking rather like a coal miner with ash on his face and all over his clothes, turned to him.

“How have you kept so clean?”

“Because I am careful.”

“I am careful!” Julian pouted.

“Clearly not careful enough.”

“Well, neither are you.” Julian looked up with a grin and pounced. 

“Oof!” Julian had bumped his body into Garak’s to get the ash from his clothes onto Garak’s chest and knocked him into the table. Despite Garak’s protests through his grin and laughter, he managed to get a large spot on Garak’s nose and was pulling his wrists from Garak’s grasp to rub ash from his thumbs over Garak’s eye ridges. Garak took a sharp intake of breath as Julian pressed the still sensitive bruised ridge and temple. Julian’s eyes widened and he dropped his hands to Garak’s chest as they still were loosely grasped by Garak’s.

“Garak, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking— I forgot!”

“It’s quite alright, Doctor. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Despite this, Julian shook off Garak’s hand that clasped his right wrist so he could reach up to softly touch the skin of Garak’s temple. Julian rested his other hand on Garak’s shoulder to stabilize himself.

“You should have let me go over this with a regenerator.” Julian carefully examined the bruise. He seemingly was unaware that he was still pressing Garak between himself and the table. “I could run and—”

“Doctor,” Garak said with a surprisingly steady voice despite Julian’s gentle touches to his temple and his other hand lightly gripping Garak’s neck ridge with his fingers. Garak clenched his hands near Julian’s shoulders. 

“Huh?” Julian looked back down to make eye contact with Garak and his eyes widened with dawning comprehension. “Oh, sorry!”

“It’s quite alright, Doctor,” Garak said as Julian leaped backward. Garak turned away and tried to brush the ash off the front of his tunic.

“Sorry.” Julian gave Garak a small sheepish smile. Garak raised an eye ridge at him.

“No need to repeat yourself, Doctor.” 

“Sor— right.” Julian turned away, but Garak could see his cheeks burning. “Erm, should I take out the bin? It looks kind of full.”

“No need, Doctor. I will take it out in the morning. I think we should call it a night. We could both do with showers.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose so.” Julian ran his finger over a rippled part of the bulkhead near the explosion site.

“Dr. Bashir?” Garak watched him closely.

“Hmm?” Julian quickly turned back to Garak. 

“No one could ever replace you, dear Julian.”

Julian grinned and Garak smiled softly. At that moment, the sting of losing the chance to return home to Cardassia dulled and the confusing muddle of emotions of losing Tain lessened and the burned-out shop with a young Starfleet doctor smiling so sweetly at him began to feel like less of an exile and more like the chance of a home. 


End file.
